Chapter 572 Most fond of old friends, most nostalgic for past affections
Yu Mingyue couldn't help but grit her teeth.
Looking at Shang Ruyi's smiling face, she said coldly, "Do you really think you can win in the end?"
Although they were some distance apart, Shang Ruyi couldn't hear her voice at all. But looking at her cold, sharp gaze and the way her cherry-red lips parted slightly, she could almost imagine what she was saying to her.
A chill ran through my bones.
Undeniably, Yu Mingyue's appearance was a huge shock to her and everyone else, and an unprecedented challenge. How much did Yu Mingyue know about the future? How many tricks would she use to set up traps? She had no idea.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi understood even more clearly—
Breaking off the engagement and remarrying are just the beginning.
This is what the life she chose to live truly looks like now.
Thinking of this, she took a deep breath, then looked up at the slender figure across the street that still made her breath quicken and her heart pound. She pursed her lips and revealed a faint smile.
You may do as you please.
Even without Yu Mingyue, even if she had truly embarked on a thorny path, she would have faced every challenge head-on. Moreover, with her lover, family, and friends by her side, she would be even more determined to move forward.
Upon seeing her smile, Yu Mingyue's eyes darkened, and she turned and left.
It was only then that Pei Xingyuan saw her.
Unlike Shang Ruyi, who felt a tremor and shrinking in his soul whenever he saw Yu Mingyue, he also had a fear of this woman that he was unwilling to express. This fear stemmed from the night before when Jin Daji and his men ambushed him, a memory that could only be described as a nightmare. Moreover, he vaguely sensed from those men that he was also their target.
Moreover, they are targets that must be eliminated as quickly as possible.
Could it be that the other party has some kind of precognitive ability and has divined something about him?
Thinking of this, he glanced at Yu Mingyue's back again. Her skirt fluttered lightly, and her slender figure had already disappeared into Yanzuofang. Pei Xingyuan looked down at Shang Ruyi with a solemn expression: "Ruyi, what is the background of this Yu Mingyue?"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly put on a smile and said to him, "Young Master Pei, what's wrong? Didn't I already tell you? I sent Jiang Kesheng to investigate the area near Banyan Temple—"
"I know all of that."
Pei Xingyuan said solemnly, "What I mean is—foresight."
"..."
“You and your brother both mentioned this person when you talked about her, saying that she seems to be able to predict the future. I always thought that the person hiding behind Yuwen Qian was an old man with a white beard, the kind who rides on auspicious clouds, but who knew that it would be a woman, and about your age.”
"..."
"Even if you say she's a Taoist nun or a Buddhist nun, she's just an ordinary woman, at most someone who's had a few years of schooling."
"..."
How could she possibly know the future?
"..."
"How could you know that Feng Chen would contract the plague and buy all the medicine in Guanzhong in advance? Oh, and that poem, I also sent people to investigate everywhere. It is true that before the poetry competition, no one and no book mentioned that poem, but Wu Zheng is certain that she did not write it. To be honest, I still believe Wu Zheng."
"..."
"So, what exactly is the background of this Yu Mingyue?"
Hearing his words, Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat—she knew, of course, that although Pei Xingyuan usually appeared carefree and dissolute, as the son of the Left Grand Master of Ceremonies, and now involved in the most dangerous and brutal struggles in the court, he would surely become sharp and astute.
Therefore, from the moment Yu Mingyue appeared, he must have noticed something strange about her.
but--
Shang Ruyi paused for a moment, then forced a reply: "I... want to know too."
Pei Xingyuan raised an eyebrow slightly, looked at her for a while, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes, and after a long time, he smiled and said, "Since you don't know either, then I won't ask."
After saying that, he asked again, "Ruyi, has Fengchen asked you this question?"
Shang Ruyi shook her head.
Pei Xingyuan was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled and said to her, "Ruyi, if you don't have an answer to my question, I won't ask anymore; but if Fengchen has doubts but doesn't ask, then you should prepare your answer."
Shang Ruyi was taken aback.
Yuwen Ye...?
Yes, aside from everything Pei Xingyuan had considered and pondered, Yuwen Ye should have another clue—Shang Ruyi herself. Although he didn't say much, Shang Ruyi could sense that he knew about the inexplicable connection between her and Yu Mingyue.
But he didn't say a word.
It seems they are waiting, waiting for me to speak first...
but--
Just as Shang Ruyi was in a state of confusion and couldn't even make sense of things, a servant from the Pei family came over carrying a heavy bundle and presented it to Pei Xingyuan: "Young Master, this is what you asked me to prepare."
"well."
Upon seeing it, Pei Xingyuan immediately smiled and reached out to take it.
A strong medicinal smell wafted from the bundle, immediately assaulting Shang Ruyi's nostrils and instantly disrupting her already somewhat chaotic thoughts. She couldn't help but frown slightly: "What are these—"
"medicine."
What are you doing?
"Delivering medicine."
Pei Xingyuan turned to her and said with a smile, "Could you please lead the way?"
"...?"
Although her thoughts were still a bit jumbled, seeing his smiling face and the large bag of medicine, Shang Ruyi immediately understood. A smile appeared on her face as she said, "I thought Young Master Pei didn't care about old friends at all."
After saying that, he turned and walked into Chang Le Fang.
She had walked this road almost every day in the past few days, so she knew it well. On the other hand, Pei Xingyuan, although he went to Chang Le Fang to "sell" medicine every day, had never entered Chang Le Fang before. At this moment, he followed behind her and walked in, looking left and right with a curious expression. He also kept talking and said, "You have misjudged me, Pei Xingyuan, on this point."
"oh?"
"I am the kind of person who cherishes old friends and memories."
As he spoke, the heavy bundle in his hands kept slipping down, and Pei Xingyuan could only use his thighs to support himself as he stumbled along, saying, "When I was a child, I even saved that Su Qinglan."
"oh?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi turned to look at him with some surprise, her eyes filled with a hint of doubt: "Really?"
Pei Xingyuan immediately said unhappily, "What kind of look is that? Do you think I would lie to you? When she was little, she went out on the street once and somehow got into trouble with some hooligans. They surrounded her, sang to her, and even pulled at her sleeves and the flowers in her hair. She was so pathetic, all she knew was to squat on the ground and cry. She didn't even know how to call for help. Tsk!"
"..."
"Fortunately, she was lucky enough to meet me."
"..."
"I didn't have anyone with me at that time, I was all alone. I rushed up and fought those thugs. I took on four of them by myself!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's expression darkened slightly.
Seeing her somewhat dazed expression, Pei Xingyuan immediately laughed and said, "Impressive, isn't it?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi didn't speak immediately, but looked up at him, her expression dazed and somewhat bewildered. After a while, she smiled and said as if she had come to her senses, "I never expected that Young Master Pei could be so heroic."
Pei Xingyuan said, "Hmph!"
Shang Ruyi laughed again: "So, back then, you—came to the rescue of the damsel in distress."
"certainly."
Seeing his smug look, Shang Ruyi smiled. She then recalled the look of surprise and emotion Su Qinglan had when she saw Pei Xingyuan in Chang Le Fang, and how she reminisced about her childhood.
It turns out that they had this past when they were children.
It was because of this past that she was so disappointed when she saw Pei Xingyuan "selling" expensive medicine, and she left without even seeing him.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi felt a vague unease rising in her heart.
She subconsciously quickened her pace, while Pei Xingyuan, carrying the heavy bag of medicine, walked unsteadily, repeatedly calling out, "Slow down."
"quick,"
Shang Ruyi, however, quickened her pace, muttering, "Any later, and it might be too late..."
"What's too late?"
Pei Xingyuan was puzzled, but he could only grit his teeth and follow closely behind Shang Ruyi, carrying the bag of medicine.
Before long, they walked through the long alley and immediately came to a bright and open space—the very stable that Shang Ruyi used to frequent, leaning against the city wall.
Looking up, I saw that familiar, delicate figure still busy at work.
It is Su Qinglan.
Before she even got close, Shang Ruyi saw Su Qinglan squatting on the ground, pulling a silver needle from the body of an elderly woman with white hair, and said softly, "Grandma, these acupuncture points will temporarily alleviate your condition. Once the herbal medicine is ready, you can drink it and you'll be much better."
The old woman said worriedly, "But, Dr. Su, didn't you run out of medicine?"
"..."
Su Qinglan's expression darkened slightly, but she immediately smiled and said, "I... I've prepared some other medicines for you, which should also alleviate your symptoms."
"I see!"
Upon hearing this, the old woman hurriedly clasped her hands together, as if worshipping a Bodhisattva, and said to her, "Thank you, thank you so much."
Su Qinglan smiled.
Just then, a tall figure walked up to her and squatted down. He helped the old woman up and said softly, "Grandma, the medicine is still a little hot. Please drink it slowly."
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Jiang Yan.
He was still there the whole time, and he had been guarding the stable on the other side. At this moment, he finished brewing a pot of medicine and immediately served it to the old woman. The old woman listened to him and drank the medicine in small sips. Jiang Xing supported her while gently blowing on the medicine to cool it down.
Then, he raised his head and glanced at Su Qinglan.
Su Qinglan looked at him, her eyes crinkling into a smile.
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